Brisbane, the next great adventue

I've decided that the Italy posts are dying a long death. I took so many pictures that the effort to sift through them is just too much for my complete glut of free time. Yeah, you'd think I could manage a few posts having no job. Crazy how busy things can be when you don't have work.

For those who may be reading my blog and don't get the email updates, I am now attending university in Brisbane. After spending several years in public health I decided to return to school for an official, "You have been trained in this." stamp of approval. I'm excited to move on to a new and exciting place.

Here are a few pictures I've taken from the first week of being in Australia. I'm not including pictures from my first bushwalk in the rain forest, that deserves its own post.

Here's the map when I crossed the equator for the first time.


This was the first piece of Australia that I saw from the plane. Still not sure exactly what it is, but it's OZ.

Italy - Part Three

Holy gaps between posts! Lots happening, but let's get on with this Italy theme. You'll recall (and if you don't you can scroll down to catch up...) that we didn't do much the day we arrived in Italy, then booked a guided tour to Naples and Pompeii the first full day we were there. By the next day Amy was getting a cold. She wasn't feeling too well but was determined to see the sights. We decided to walk down to the Colosseum to see what all the fuss was about.


This was taken by setting my camera on a nearby post and setting the timer. We're in front of the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum. Walking around in Rome is very surreal. I've seen pictures of these places all my life, and to finally be close enough to reach out and touch these things is pretty cool. We wanted to take a tour of the Colosseum, but the day was a bit colder and there was a line. We opted for the 5 cent tour of the outside.


After our quick walk around the Colosseum we meandered our way back to the hotel. Of course we stopped at all the little tourist souvenir shops. I noticed a cooler gladiator helmet in one of the stores and had to test it out. The thing was covered in some kind of oil or grease. I wasn't sure if that was to keep it from rusting or to act as a theft deterrent.


With Amy resting up at the hotel I decided later that night to go for a walk around the city. This shuttle bus drove past me as I got near the Colosseum, so I ran up to the stoplight to get a better picture. The snapshot still turned out a bit blurry, but you get the idea. I thought it looked pretty cool.


I've also played around with my camera and took these next few of pictures with the longer shutter speed. I headed back to the hotel to rest up for a more in depth tour the next day.

Parmesan Pancakes

Yes, this can be done and they are AMAZING! I made them yesterday for breaky.

First make the pancake mix. (If you don't want to make your own, you can use premix)

1 egg
1 C Flour
3/4 C Milk
1 TBS Sugar
2 TBS Veg Oil
1 TBS Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

Whisk it all together until there are no lumps. (This recipe makes 2 lrg pancakes)

Second, using FRESH parmesan, slice a few thin pieces and set aside.

Then heat up your pan and spray with non-stick. Pour about 1/2 the amount of pancake mix you want into pan and place parmesan pieces on top of batter in pan. Pour the remaining amount of pancake mixture you desire over parmesan until covered. Wait for batter to form bubbles all over the surface, then flip pancake. The parm should remain inside of pancake. Cook both sides of pancake until golden brown. Place on serving plate and smother with butter. No need for syrup, its not that kind of pancake. Enjoy.